Megami no Senshi
by Neku the Last Reaper
Summary: The sequel to Moon Child. Two years after everyone went their separate ways, the Wheels of Fate turn yet again. The guardians of the world must unite to face enemies old and new. Let Final Crisis begin.
1. Journey of the Guardians

**A/N:** Yes I started another fic... hate me, I haven't done squat with WE. I have had nothing but lack of inspiration on that piece. In other words someone needs to smack me upside the head. So for the prologue I decided to give an overview of the plot. And for all curious, "Megami no Senshi" means "Soldiers of the Goddess". Please enjoy!

**Disclaimer: Ownership is none.**

When the war of the Beasts brings about the World's End  
The Goddess descends from the sky  
Wings of light and dark spread afar  
She guides us to bliss, her gift everlasting

Infinite in mystery is the gift of the Goddess  
We seek it thus, and take to the sky   
Ripples form on the water's surface   
The wandering soul knows no rest.

There is no hate, only joy   
For you are beloved by the goddess   
Hero of the dawn, Healer of worlds

Dreams of the morrow hath the shattered soul   
Pride is lost   
Wings stripped away, the end is nigh

My friend, do you fly away now?   
To a world that abhors you and I?   
All that awaits you is a somber morrow 

No matter where the winds may blow  
My friend, your desire  
Is the bringer of life, the gift of the Goddess

Even if the morrow is barren of promises   
Nothing shall forestall my return  
My friend, the fates are cruel  
There are no dreams, no honor remains   
The arrow has left the bow of the Goddess

My soul, corrupted by vengeance   
Hath endured torment, to find the end of the journey   
In my own salvation   
And your eternal slumber

Legend shall speak  
Of sacrifice at World's End   
The wind sails over the water's surface   
Quietly, but surely

Even if the morrow is barren of promises  
Nothing shall forestall my return   
To become the dew that quenches the land   
To spare the sands, the seas, the skies  
I offer thee this silent sacrifice

-Loveless

--

A north zephyr brewed in the cold land of the Northern Crater, breaking shafts of ice inside of the massive ring of glacial mountains. The crackle of energy flowed from a set of dark shapes encased in the crystalline ice. The wind swept forth from the crater traveling over the lands and oceans, over the three continents, passing through the sleepy mountain village of Nibelheim, and through the desert and fields of Cosmo Canyon.

--

In the area of Nibelheim and Cosmo Canyon, nighttime was upon the land. One of the few to notice the unusually chill breeze stood up from amidst the tall grasses. Her two colored eyes fixated northwest. "(What's wrong?)" A large, burgundy lion asked, yellow eyes peering up curiously.

The one he addressed shook her head, "(this one is returning to the Canyon, a chill wind blows.)"

The lion bowed, "(understood.)"

She turned sprinting at full tilt towards the gorges of Cosmo Canyon.

--

Meanwhile, the other to take notice, sat hunched atop an old rundown mansion in Nibelheim. The moon and starlight reflected off of the metal gauntlet and boots. His scarlet cloak whipped around upon the zephyr's arrival. His crimson eyes darted away from the moon towards the direction of the current. He sprang off of the top of the building. He landed silently upon the lawn before disappearing spectrally into the darkness.


	2. Flight of Angels

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

Angeal Hewley yawned; his body hadn't quite made the adjustment back to Midgar Standard Time. His airship had just arrived in the city for his meeting with Sephiroth, ordinarily if the General had something to discuss he would do it over electronic communications. But Angeal wasn't one to question his friend and commander; Sephiroth must have had a decent reason to call him halfway around the world. He stepped into the elevator. He watched the trees whipped around by the now permanent frozen wind as elevator went up into the upper levels of the Shin-Ra building. The doors opened up onto floor forty-nine of the building. He stepped out and walked down the familiar hallways to Sephiroth's office. Upon his arrival, he knocked several times.

"Come in," addressed the person inside.

Angeal opened the door smiling at his friend, "Hello."

"Ah Angeal, welcome back, how was your flight?" Sephiroth asked. His gloved hand removed a pen from his mouth, the tip pock marked by bites.

"Long and turbulent," he sighed. He hastily took up his familiar chair across from Sephiroth, "how have things been here?"

"Well up until a week ago quiet. But then a few minutes before you walked in this report came in," he pushed forward a manila folder.

The SOLDIER picked it up reaching inside for the contents. He noticed several headline clippings from the paper, accompanied by reactor reports, "so? You got sent a report that should have gone to Reeve. Just head to his office and give it to him."

Sephiroth shook his head, "no that report is for SOLDIER. I take it you've heard about the blackouts that have been happening over the last month?"

"Yes, the media started criticizing Shin-Ra that it was all a gimmick to get more money in taxes."

"Of course the media would want to think that, it comforts the people. The truth is, that Shin-Ra has no idea what's causing this at all. Then there's this," Sephiroth handed Angeal a seismic chart. "This was yesterday's recording in Icicle Inn of seismic activity."

Angeal's eyes widened, "what's going on?"

"Come Angeal, I vote we go get some coffee, and we'll take the stairs," Sephiroth stood up.

Half an hour later the found themselves in a small coffee shop near Shin-Ra. Angeal had a cup of Earl Grey tea, while Sephiroth sat with a mocha. "Now then Seph, what's going on here?"

"About a month ago the geologists working on the Northern Continent noticed tremors accompanied by an unusual change of temperature," Sephiroth commented. It was the height of summer yet it felt like fall. "Shortly after that a permanent wind started up. It's getting colder."

Angeal nodded drinking his tea, "but that doesn't explain the reactor charts."

"At the same time, every reactor on the planet started losing power. The blackouts have become almost daily, and the tremors on the Northern Continent have grown in intensity. This morning a large power spike was reported near the Northern Crater. They want to send an investigative unit up there and figure out what exactly is going on."

Angeal closed his eyes, listening to the news; "I suppose you'll want me on the scout team then."

Sephiroth finished his mocha and then nodded. "Yes, I want you, Fair, Weiss, Nero, and Lancet to report down to bay thirty two in three hours."

Angeal stood up and saluted. They left the café and returned to Shin-Ra in silence. He returned to his quarters, they had a special wing in the SOLDIER dormitories for visiting SOLDIERs stationed elsewhere on Gaia. These typically belonged to the First Class who operated the bases so they could leave the ones in the main segments free. Angeal walked over to the large Buster Sword and stared at his reflection for a moment. He thought for a moment, if the Planet was falling into crisis then naturally the WEAPONs would know something. He turned from the sword and pulled out his PHS. It gave a dial tone for a moment before the line picked up.

"Hello, hello!" An eccentric sounding voice declared.

"Elder Bugenhagen?" Angeal asked the person on the other end.

"Ah Angeal m'boy! How are things on the other side of the world?" Elder Bugenhagen of the Cosmo Canyon smiled.

"Please forgive me for calling so late, Elder. Would it be possible to speak to Nanaki?"

"Ah yes I'll get him."

Angeal waited a moment, "hello?" Nanaki's voice asked.

"Hello there, Nanaki. I know this is rather short notice… But I was wondering, have you seen Ariella anywhere?"

"She left about a month ago heading towards Nibelheim. She left her brother in charge of the clan. I'm rather surprised she didn't tell you."

"Nibelheim?"

"Correct. Her brother said something about her heading, 'to the place where it all began'. I think they may mean the Forgotten City."

"What's that?"

"It was the capitol of the Ancients and the home of the Nine. Be careful though, the area around it is rather dangerous. Few travelers have ever found it and lived to tell the tale."

"Don't worry Nanaki, I'll be careful. Call me back if you hear anything else about her." He hung up.

--

Nanaki's brows furrowed, "I don't see how he expects me to call back. I have no opposable thumbs…"

"There, there," Bugenhagen stroked the Cosmo Canyon guardian behind the ears. "I think you better assemble the Council. Something tells me we're in for a very wild ride."

Nanaki stood up and ran out of the observatory into the snow.

--

Angeal picked up one of the pictures he often carried around with him; it was from Ariella's thirteenth birthday. The day she decided to return back to the life she'd grown up in. He grabbed his duffle bag and Buster Sword before he stepped out. The door locked and he made the long trek to Docking Bay #32. He arrived and set his bag down for a minute while he waited on the rest of the team.

"Angeal!" In an instant Angeal found himself pinned to the ground under a happy-go-lucky grin.

"Zack, didn't we discuss attacking me from behind like this?"

"Oh yeah, sorry," Zack laughed standing up.

"Zack… good grief man… you're eighteen, can't you try acting your age?" Weiss sighed helping Angeal up.

"Sorry, man," Zack smiled embarrassed.

Nero walked past them to his brother, "brother, you shouldn't waste time scolding him."

"I know Nero," Weiss replied. "But try and bare with it, we're on a mission now."

Angeal glanced past Zack as Sephiroth entered, the group sprang to a salute, "at ease, now this is a recon mission, in a harsh environment, we'll be landing on the Northern Continent. So winter survival is paramount, conditions up there are like they would be during winter. Be careful."

They saluted again before loading up on the airship, Angeal walked over to Sephiroth, "where are we landing specifically?"

"Icicle Inn, we can stock up on winter supplies there," Sephiroth replied.

"Where's the Forgotten City in relation to that?"

"Angeal, the Forgotten City is just that, forgotten, it's only a fairytale. It's only a story told to little kids in an oral tradition of the stories of the Goddess."

Angeal stepped in front of Sephiroth meeting his eyes, "how can you honestly say that when you've met Chaos and Adarna?"

"Easy, it's my job," Sephiroth closed his eyes. He started into the twisted maze of halls, Angeal sighed and followed him. Angeal followed his friend to a cabin. "Angeal… I need to tell you something."

"What?" Angeal asked as he watched Sephiroth sit down on the bed.

"I'm scared," the SOLDIER General admitted.

Angeal stepped over to the bed and sat down next to his friend. One of his arms reached up around Sephiroth's shoulders, "Seph…" He'd never seen Sephiroth this upset since their early days on the front line. Back then Sephiroth had almost had a breakdown a day, and all Angeal knew he could do was support his friend.

Sephiroth lowered his head placing his forehead against Angeal's shoulder, "I honestly don't know what to do…"

Angeal ran one hand through Sephiroth's hair by his temple, "it's okay…" His other hand snaked from his friend's shoulders, under the sheet of silver and started to rub his back.

Sephiroth shuddered for a moment, "but what if this is the end of the world? I don't want to lose you or Genesis…" His arms snaked around Angeal's back and clung to his back tightly. His nose nuzzled Angeal's neck and his fingers dug into Angeal's shoulders.

"Shh, get some rest, we'll figure this out, I promise," Angeal whispered. He continued to hold his friend for a moment before he laid him down in bed.

Sephiroth nodded as he leaned against the mattress. Angeal started to stand up but Sephiroth grabbed his arm, "stay with me, Angeal."

Angeal smiled and lay down next to Sephiroth, "as you wish." Angeal waited until Sephiroth fell asleep before his own eyes closed off and left him to dream.

"_Huh? What's going on?" I asked staring around wide-eyed._

"_Angeal sweetheart I have something important to tell you."_

"_Mother!?"_

"_Who else sweetie? But I don't have much time, all I can tell you is beware of the dark."_

__

"Huh? What does that mean?"

_"Beware of the dark my little angel. Beware of the dark… Beware…"_

"_Mother!"_


	3. Council of the Nine

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything!**

**A/N: We have a scene change here, and congratulations to all who wish for Angeal x Seph! ie Mom this means you. XD **

Two hundred leagues away, two people stood hunched up in the voracious blizzard on the Northern Continent. The two figures descended down a narrow, icy path into a forest of ethereal, white trees. They both pulled back their hoods as they escaped the blizzard's chill. "We take it you felt it too?" The smaller of the two asked.

The taller nodded as he ripped off his soaked traveling cloak, "So when did you two sense it?"

"As soon as the call went out," the girl replied as she removed her own cloak. Together they wandered through the glowing forest. The wind from above drowned out the sound of the dead leaves crunched by their feet. Both of them followed a small path carved through the underbrush towards a large structure in the center of the forest by a pond. The structure in question seemed to be made of a giant, alabaster, conch shell. The pair stepped through the opening on one side of the hollowed out interior. They found a set of steps that led down towards an underground, utopian city. Both of them leaped from one stair to the next as the city emerged around them.

"This way," the older of the two declared as he headed towards a large castle at the center of the villa.

The younger nodded and jogged after him, her eyes drifted up to the sky, the ripple of water for a sky unsettled her stomach. She shook off the nausea then focused her attention to the hem of the red cloak ahead of her. The taller man led the way into the large castle erected as the centerpiece of the city. They passed through the entrance hall, a pair of doors swung forward to reveal a circular room with ten, high back, chairs around the table. Six of the ten seats at the table inside had occupants, all of whom turned to their newly arrived company. The purple haired youth near the largest unoccupied chair greeted them. "Welcome Ariella Hewley, and Vincent Valentine. Please be seated, now that you have arrived our meeting may proceed." Her red eyes darted towards the unoccupied chairs.

The new arrivals slid into their appointed seats. "It's good to see you again, Knight General of the Cosmos, Ultima." Ariella greeted while her head dipped in a bow. She'd decided it was best not to let the tension in the room build up too much.

"Too long little sister," the purple haired girl replied with a smile. She refocused her attention on the rest of the group, "now then, let the Council of the Nine Generals begin." Her fingers folded and she scanned the assembly of faces. "I assume you've noticed the recent change in weather patterns?" She glanced at the humans.

Vincent gave a stoic nod, while Ariella sighed, "it is most peculiar, we moved from the hunting grounds to the depths of the Gi caverns for shelter."

"I see," she paused and processed this information. "So then, Vermelho, would you kindly show us your data?" Ultima requested.

A young man with red hair and gold eyes nodded. He whipped out a small crystal and placed it on the middle of the table. A large map of the planet appeared, his pale fingers ran through his hair. "I won't waste time bothering with weather patterns. For anyone curious about it, have you tried looking outside for a change?" He laughed, and earned a hearty chortle from the rest of the group. "But the facts still stand, the Lifestream's currents have shifted dramatically. Here's where they were a few months ago." The map faded, but green lights flowed around, with coalescence points where the reactors of Shin-Ra drew their power. "And here's a flow map from just this morning," the flow of green strands on the map shifted. They drew away from their normal paths and moved to a pair of points on opposite sides of the world. "The Lifestream's flowing to the Northern Crater and Mideel." He pointed towards the former coalescence points, "these five points managed to create reservoirs of energy. The human settlements are in a serious threat of blackouts and quakes. Anyway, that's all I've got as far as my part."

Ultima nodded at him, "thank you Knight General of the Earth."

Vermelho nodded sitting down, "hey Vert, Biru, how have the oceans been?"

A pair of twins, a boy with messy green hair and yellow eyes, and a girl with deep blue hair and matching yellow eyes, stood up. "The oceanic currents have shifted, drastically." The twins explained pointing at the map Vermelho uploaded. The oceans became highlighted before a small series of arrows began to shift on the display. "These represent the ordinary flow of the ocean." They explained, then the arrows shifted, "this is the current flow of the ocean." The arrows seemed to be pulling away from Mideel and the Northern Crater, the exact opposite of the flow of the Lifestream just beneath the surface. "In another week there will be severe flooding throughout the lower continents, however if we may direct your attention to the odd currents here and at the Southern Archipelago." The twins pointed at the two areas of oceanic recession. The group watched as what seemed to be a land path opened up between the Eastern Continent, and the two points of interest. "While flooding occurs on the continents, these two places will have land bridges towards the Eastern Continent. If someone were to march an army through there, then the humans would be doomed. We suspect this to be the opening between Aeterna Nox and where we sealed the Tenth."

"Adarna and I both carried the task of monitoring the status of the Tenth until we could recover from battle." Vert continued quietly. "Adarna, would you mind telling the Council what would become of the areas along in here?" He pointed to a part of the map between Midgar and Junon.

Ariella winced as she nodded, "yes. There are massive concentrations of people in here and here." The girl pointed at the cities, "the clans here would be forced to evacuate. The damage would be catastrophic." She silently thanked Adarna for the new vocabulary.

Ultima closed her eyes for a moment, deep in thought about the situation. With the Goddess focused on other things, it left the Nine in the position of assessment for the situation. There was only one other option, and a risky one at that. "As you all know, Gyemante went missing six months ago during her assignment to protect the only remaining Cetra. Therefore, I have tasks for each of you. Vincent, Ariella, I need you to locate the last of the Cetra. Her last known location was in the city of Midgar. One Aerith Gainsborough."

Ariella jumped, "we know her!"

"Then that makes you perfect for this task," Ultima nodded. Her attention shifted, "Hikaru, Omega, head south, and scout out the situation. Vert, Biru, take Vermelho and set up a perimeter in the area around Aeterna Lux. The rest of you, recruit as many of those as are willing to fight."

"Yes ma'am," the murmur rose from the group while they stood up. Ultima rose and exited the room followed by the rest of the group.

"Vincent, Ariella, join me," Ultima ordered.

She led them over to a hidden room, completely circular and of equal size to the previous one. "Chaos and Adarna, they have been waiting two thousand years to see you." She pointed to a decrepit, rust hewed, bird and a broken red dragon that hung limply from its pedastal. "They have waited patiently, but since you have returned during the time of a crisis, we have precious little time. I would ask you to please save them. Near the Gi Caverns there resides a clan of smiths that have served the Goddess since the beginning. They are the only ones who can perform such a task."

"You got it," Ariella grinned. She reached under the pillar and removed a stone box, a tug on the chain that dangled from the side opened it. She gathered the broken phoenix up and placed it into the box. "You don't have to come if you don't want to Vincent. We can take it from here."

"No… it would be an error on my part to let a youth such as yourself undertake such a journey to this place. I will join you." He muttered, his hands placed the crushed dragon in its own box.

They put on the stone boxes, arms through the leather straps on the opposite side of the chain. Ariella immediately tipped back over onto the floor, "oww…"

Ultima giggled, "you'll need to use you're spirit energy to lighten the load." Ariella struggled back to her feet with Vincent's help, "now get some sleep you two, tomorrow you'll start on the journey south." She led the two humans up to the dormitories of the castle, she stopped off by a room with a dragon on the door. The picture had been so well crafted that Ariella could feel the eyes watching her. She felt her hackles go up, "this will be your room Vincent Valentine." Ultima explained. Vincent nodded and pushed the door open, it shut with a click of the lock. Ariella reached out to touch it and placed her hand on the wood, but she winced as a string of darkness repelled her. Ultima smiled and gave Ariella a nudge to a door across the hall. "Try this one."

This door had a phoenix while it hovered embedded in it. The gold and silver eyes stared at her, her fingers brushed the door and it swung open. "Um goodnight Knight General of the Cosmos."

"Goodnight, sister," she smiled as Ariella disappeared inside of the room.

_That was nice… getting to meet your family and friends._

_**Yeah real nice, thanks for handling the talking. I don't know what woulda happened if I'd handled it directly.**_

_True. But they might want to see you._

_**Feh… get some sleep, we've got a helluva journey ahead of us.**_

_Alright… goodnight…_


	4. Arrival to the North

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Final Fantasy, and that's a promise. Also the song Zack is listening to is "Pub and GO!!!" from Hetalia Axis Powers.

**A/N: **The first thing I owe is a detailed explanation of what happened. For that see my profile. The cliff notes: My computer ate this story and turned it into garbled bits of code (It has issues with sequels to stories I finish.) I never got the inspiration to finish this or WE, but somehow about two days ago I pulled in inspiration. So I will do my best to finish this story, with several backups running to be safe. Also the previous chapters will go through minor edits as I get the chance to do so.

As always: (parentheses) mean foreign language.

---

Angeal yawned and sat up from his spot on the airship in the cabins. He shook the sleep out of his head, "Good morning Ariella..." he muttered then remembered that she wasn't around. He glanced over where Sephiroth had been. The General had a habit of waking up at dawn wherever he happened to be. Talk about lucky to have an internal clock that adjusted so easily. He sighed and wandered into the bathroom, he showered and brushed his teeth taking care of everything else before taking out his shaving kit. He frowned and glared at the razor briefly. Sometimes he wondered why he of all people had to be one of the rare SOLDIERs who had facial hair left after mako injections. Still he didn't complain too much, he'd grown accustom to the others occasional teasing when he cut himself and had to patch it up. He carefully sheared off everything except for the tiny patch on his chin and the narrow side burns. Satisfied, he washed his face of excess shaving cream and pulled on a fresh SOLDIER uniform.

He exited the room with his Buster Sword attached securely to his back. Angeal scratched his head and vaguely decided he needed a haircut when he got the chance. He hadn't been quite so meticulous with his appearance as normal during his time in Cosmo Canyon, he had let his hair grow out in the back, and for his birthday his daughter had hand made him a tie for it, complete with beads made of bone, each carved with a letter that spelled his name, as best as she could.

Zack stood from his spot in the corner where he had been doing squats and waved at his mentor and friend. "Hey Angeal!" His voice was far too loud for the small corridor.

Angeal noticed two tiny white bulges coming from his ears and held his hand out for them. Zack pulled out the ear buds and very loud music filled the nearby area. "(You'll die if you sit there, Busby's Chair

Dragged down straight to hell, Busby~, Busby~

Gather everyone, unicorns and pixies

With the Panjandrum, let's go, to battle

Hey you guys, here we go! Here we go? Here we go!

Pub Pub Pub and GO!

Fish and Chips

You'd see if you drink, if you drink you'll see

Fairy~~, Fairy~~, Ahahahahaha

So I shall proceed~)"

Zack pulled the small player out of his pocket and shut the music off. "Sorry about that, new album from my favorite series is out. I love Pub and Go."

Angeal wasn't sure he wanted to know what Zack what was talking about. He handed Zack the listening devices and glanced around, "what happened to Weiss and Nero?"

"They're down with Seph in the flight deck. Captain says we can't land near Icicle Inn but we're close enough to the Forgotten City place. 'We'll be there in an damn hour or so', he also said he'd be happier when we're gone and he can get back." Zack noted as they walked down the hall.

Angeal nodded and they opened the door to the flight deck. Nero and Weiss stood in the corner chatting about something, while Sephiroth stood by the window and gazed over the snowy landscape. The ship pitched as a sharp cold wind hit it and everyone staggered. Cid let rip a good round of swearing, "fucking damn arctic wind! This is where I'm letting ya off! The shit weather won't let us get any further!"

Sephiroth turned silently and the SOLDIERs followed him out. In the open area just before the door to the outside deck, the SOLDIERs put on heavy winter outfit. Zack, Weiss, and Nero all walked over to the wall where a series of boards and backpacks had been set aside. They each grabbed a pack and board. Angeal put the Buster Sword on the magnet attached to his jacket then frowned as Sephiroth picked up his board and pack. "What's while the board?"

"We're going to jump and snowboard to our final destination," he noted completely serious.

"Seph, you do recall I've never been snowboarding in my life." Angeal noted, remembering that it wasn't until he moved to Midgar that he had even seen snow. Banora only got rain, boatloads of it, during the winter.

Sephiroth smiled slightly, "'Necessity is the mother of all invention.'"

Angeal sighed and picked up his equipment and walked out to the blizzard along with Zack, Weiss and Nero. Sephiroth pulled the door shut as Angeal waved to Zack and the others. Zack pulled up his hood and down on his goggles, he strapped one foot into the board and hopped over to the rail near the edge. He put both hands on the rail then waved over at the rest with a smile still visible despite the balaclava. He glared down, pushed himself over the rail and disappeared into the white below. Weiss and Nero glanced at one another, then after a brief nod, they followed Zack down. Sephiroth had strapped one foot into the board and shuffled awkwardly over to the rail. Angeal shook his head and secured his left foot in the board. He waddled over to the rail next to Sephiroth and together they leaped over. While falling both secured the other foot into place.

The landing was rough, at least to Angeal, who, after sliding about ten feet from the impact zone, landed with a resounding thud on his rear. Angeal placed one hand under the board and the other one to push himself up. He got up and immediately started to slide down the massive dune. In the distance Angeal spotted Zack with his upper half stuck in the snow while Weiss and Nero attempted to free him. He coasted past and spotted Sephiroth ahead of him. What he failed to notice was the giant dune up ahead of him. He flew up and into the air. Angeal panicked briefly and clutched the board. Behind him he heard Zack cheering above the wind, he landed and slid for a moment. Angeal fell forward and rolled along the ground end over end before coming to a halt beside the massive mountains in front of them.

The rest of the group caught up a moment later, Zack let out a cheer, "Angeal that was totally wicked! The way you went from a nolly to an Indy with a tail grab! Where in the world did you learn to ride?!"

"Zack..." Angeal shook his head and picked the straps apart on his snowboard. He pulled off the ankle locked boots and swapped them for the SOLDIER issue ones in his pack. The rest of the group followed suit and soon they stood at the base of the mountain gazing up skeptically through the gale force wind.

Sephiroth reacted first to the attack, his Masamune summoned to his hand in an instant slicing the bullet in half. It fell to the snow harmlessly. The group dodged and drew their weapons, then stood back to back gazing around trying to see where the attack came from. Another shot erupted for Nero, who blocked it with his sword and glared at where it came from. He glanced over at Weiss and nodded. He shrank back into the center while his brother filled in the gap. Nero closed his eyes and tendrils of darkness appeared around him, they flickered for a moment then shot along the ground. Without opening his eyes he shouted, "General, Fire spell, two degrees to your right!" Sephiroth shot the spell from his hand, and a shout filled the air briefly. "Weiss, attack your left side right... now!" Weiss saw a dark figure rush from the white out; he swung and cut them in half dying the snow red. "Zack, Angeal, two more right in front of you, attack!" They struck forward, and two more dark figures fell.

At that moment one of the shadows that Nero had sent out recoiled and flew back hitting him squarely in the chest. He collided with Weiss and knocked them both out. Zack turned around, "Weiss, Nero!" But then something hit him in the back of the head and he collapsed.

Angeal closed his eyes trying to figure out where the next attack would be. He deflected another shot but then something snaked up from the snow and pulled him into it. He clawed the snow desperately, but it continued to drag him down. Overhead he could hear Sephiroth using some magic, and several flashes of light appeared. He frowned and continued to try to pull himself up. He tried again and again to pull himself up into the wind, but to no avail. Fatigue chewed into his muscles and his breathing felt ragged. His eyes slowly shut and he gave into his exhaustion.


	5. Prelude to Destruction

Disclaimer: I don't own Crisis Core. As much as I want to. Course then it would be Crisis Hard Core.

**A/N:** School doesn't start until Tuesday, so I will try and get one more chapter up before then. No promises though since I have apps to fill out and a video for a friend to do. Also apologies to the short chapter. I wondered whether to merge it, but realized that the next two chapters are better served as one extra long one.

---

When Angeal awoke, it wasn't to the thick banks of snow that had clogged his vision, but a pale, gentle light. He struggled for a moment; thin silk clothes garnished his body while a warm blanket covered him up to his head. He sat up in the soft bed lifting his head from the pillow. He swung his feet out and strode across the carpeted floor to the window. One hand pulled back the curtain and he discovered he was in a castle in the middle of a shining forest and city. His free hand reached to his leg and he gave himself a brief pinch. His eye twitched as the pain hit him. This wasn't a dream, so then where in the world was he?

Angeal walked around for a moment, all of his gear made it in, but he had no idea what happened to his friends. He stepped out of the room into a long hallway. Something made him shiver, but when he turned all he found was the door behind him. The door behind him had a phoenix with gold and silver eyes that watched him, he wondered if the bird would fly out of the wood or if it was just his imagination. He spun around and saw a large gryphon on the door across from him; he faced the phoenix door again. Something about it felt familiar to him, he ran his finger along the wing. "No way... Adarna?"

Suddenly he felt something hanging around his neck briefly before he landed on the ground.

"Dad!" A black and red head dove to his shoulder while the lean arms squeezed his neck.

"Ariella? What are you doing here?" He asked as he gave his daughter's hair a ruffle.

"It is a long story, but we missed you." She smiled at him. "We were just about to leave when you were brought in. We decided to delay our trip to make sure you were okay."

Angeal stood up while Ariella backed off, "did you find Sephiroth and the others?"

"Weiss and Zack are eating, Nero is being treated for minor injuries. As for Uncle Sephy..." she hung her head, "we have been working hard to make sure he is okay."

The SOLDIER thought for a moment, "take me to him, on the way you can explain what's going on."

She nodded and they set off down the hall. "A full cycle of Luna has passed since we departed the Canyon. We noticed a shift in the wind and sensed a call. So we followed it, and along the way we saw Vincent again. As to the world... we believe that this can be better explained later. To put it simply, someone is trying to awaken the Tenth WEAPON, Zirconiade. There are three sets of WEAPONS who represent the Birth, Life and Death of the Planet as created by our Goddess. Ultima, Vert and Biru represent the cosmos, the land and the seas. Gyamante, Hikaru and Vermelho represent time, space, and nature. Chaos, Omega and Adarna represent, the coming of the end, death, and rebirth. We are three of three, a perfect order. During the previous Jenova war, a false Tenth WEAPON called Zirconiade, who was stronger than all of us, came into being. We only won through the strength of our Goddess." She shrugged and grew grim, "we divided the power of Zirconiade into four sections and scattered them through the world. The spirit we left in Nibelheim, the power we hid in Midgar, while Zirconiade's physical form became split between the Northern Continent and Mideel in the end. That is why the Northern Continent is ice locked while Mideel never sees a shred of snow."

Angeal processed this while she picked a bunch of locks on a large door. He derailed briefly to wonder how his daughter came to possess burglary skills. Probably inherited from Genesis, he supposed. He shook that notion off then took in their surroundings; they came a long way down through the castle. No windows, and the elegant, open architecture, just bare stone and darkness. The only light came from a small, failing candle on the wall. When this door opened Angeal swore he had turned pale and felt nauseated. Sephiroth was covered in blood, chained to the wall by manacles every few inches along his arms and legs. Angeal ran forward and let his hand sweep a few stray locks of hair from Sephiroth's face. "Seph, what happened?"

Ariella hung her head, tears forming at the corners of her eyes. "We're sorry Dad... we tried to save him... and we did what we could for his wounds... but Ultima insisted he be down here... She said he was dangerous... We told her that wasn't true..."

Angeal smiled sadly at his daughter, "it's okay sweetie. I'm sure you did everything you possibly could."

She shook slightly, tears running down her face. "No... We didn't... there still has to be something we can do..."

A low groan filled the room, and Sephiroth lifted his head. "Angeal... what's going on?"

"Seph... it's a long story... the point is you're okay." Angeal replied meeting Sephiroth's eyes

"I have time," he muttered wearily.

Angeal brought him up to speed with what Ariella had told him and a bit about where they were. "Other than that, there's not much else to report. Everyone made it out alive, though I'm not entirely sure what else is going on here."

Ariella gave a weak glance up at Sephiroth, "we tried to tell them this was different from then. We tried to tell them you wouldn't hurt anyone. But they said we couldn't take chances..."

Sephiroth shook his head as best he could, "it's okay, I don't blame you."

Angeal placed a hand on his daughter's shoulder, wondering vaguely when she'd hit another growth spurt. He smiled, "why don't you go get something to eat and then some sleep? You look like you've been up all night."

She shook her head, "no. We will go talk to Ultima, if she will not release him, then we will beat her until she listens. Our welfare is second to the clan's."

And before either SOLDIER could stop her, the girl took off at a dead sprint back through the dark hallways. Angeal sighed and faced Sephiroth again, "she takes after her father."

"No question about that," Sephiroth smiled slightly and his head drooped, all this talking had drained him. "I'm going to rest."

Angeal nodded and leaned against the wall opposite him in the small room. He shut his eyes and waited, it was all he could do at this point. And sometimes that was enough. He would wait as long as it took.


End file.
